AB1440 ASSOCIATION BETWEEN GAMMA-GLUTAMYL TRANSFERASE (GGT) AND SERUM URATE: CROSS-SECTIONAL FINDINGS FROM THE 1993 PELOTAS (BRAZIL) BIRTH COHORT
Authors: T. Loyola Correa, D. Farias Freitas, C. Brinck Brum, I. Oliveira de Oliveira
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2022)

Background Gout attack is associated with an abrupt increase or decrease on serum urate concentrations, which can precipitate urate crystals in tissues in and around the joints. Serum urate (SU) has been positively associated with cardiometabolic risk factors and subclinical inflammation in observational studies, but causal roles remain unclear. 1 Additionally, gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) has been linked to oxidative stress, metabolic syndrome, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Objectives The aim of this study was to assess the association between GGT and SU in Brazilian young adults. Methods During 1993, all live born babies in the city of Pelotas (Brazil) were invited to take part in a prospective study. At the 22-year follow-up of this birth cohort, SU was evaluated by enzymatic-colorimetric assay. GGT was evaluated by kinetic assay and converted into logarithm for regression analysis. The co-variables taken into consideration were waist circumference (WC), systolic and diastolic blood pressures (SBP, DBP), glucose (G), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), creatinine (Scr), fasting period, smoking status, excessive alcohol consumption (&gt;8 points in the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-AUDIT), and physical activity (PA). For association analyses, serum concentration of urate was categorized into tertiles. Sex-stratified linear regressions have been performed due to the significant interaction between GGT, SU and sex (p&lt;0.001). A p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results The sample comprised 1660 (47.7%) men and 1822 (52.3%) women aged 22.6 (±0.34) years old. Median (IQR) GGT (U/L) was 26 (20-35) in men and 21 (16-30) in women (p&lt;0.001). Mean (±SD) SU (mg/dL) was also higher in men (5.2±1.2 vs. 3.9±1.1; p&lt;0.001). No significant association between GGT and tertiles of SU was observed in men (between the 1 st and 2 nd tertiles, the p-value was 0.713; and between the 1 st and 3 rd , p = 0.185). In women, between the 1 st and 2 nd tertiles, the linear p-value was 0.251; and between the 1 st and 3 rd ; p = 0.001. The corresponding exponential mean of GGT for each SU tertile is described in (Table 1). Table 1. Exponential means (95%CI) of GGT (U/L) according to the SU tertiles in 22-year-old individuals from the 1993 Pelotas (Brazil) birth cohort SU Tertile Men (n=1638 ) Women (n=1801 ) Mean 95%CI Mean 95%CI p=0.231* p=0.005* 1 26.8 (25.3; 28.5) 22.6 (21.8; 23.3) 2 27.1 (26.3; 28.2) 23.3 (22.4; 24.3) 3 28.2 (27.4; 29.1) 26 (24.1; 28) Linear regression adjusted for WC, SBP, DBP, Glu, HDL-c, LDL-c, Scr, fasting, smoking status, alcohol consumption (&gt;8 points AUDIT), and PA. *heterogeneity p-value Conclusion GGT was positively associated with SU in women, even after adjusting for potential confounders. This finding reinforces that uric acid is associated with cardiometabolic risk factors since early adult age. Nonetheless, further prospective studies are needed to understand the causality of this association especially observed in women. References [1]Loyola Correa T, Oliveira de Oliveira I. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2021; 80: 1004. Disclosure of Interests None declared